


Driving Miss Riley [clutch + first - brake]

by TANGOCHARLIE



Series: Jack Dalton's School of Infinite Wisdom [4]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Cairo Day 2020, Fluff, Gen, Good Dad Jack, Jack Dalton is Riley Davis' Parent, Parental Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23554975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TANGOCHARLIE/pseuds/TANGOCHARLIE
Summary: More of Jack Dalton's School of Infinite Wisdom, life lessons from their dad. This time it's Riley's turn.For Cairo Day 2020
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016) & Riley Davis
Series: Jack Dalton's School of Infinite Wisdom [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1644943
Comments: 9
Kudos: 34





	Driving Miss Riley [clutch + first - brake]

“The airport? Really, Jack?” Riley groaned as they pulled onto the runway at the small airport, brushing down the wispy rogue hairs with her palm that had been stirred up by the top down convertible ride. “Why all the mystery?” She perked up with a realization, “oh! You wouldn’t tell me because we are flying somewhere cool for dinner? Someplace you need a reservation booked 6 months in advance?”

“No, sorry, sweetheart. We’re just going to the airport, not flying anywhere.” Jack sounded almost apologetic, setting off the alarm bells in her head.

She replied, deadpan “Is it time for another course in the Jack Dalton School of Infinite Wisdom?” 

“Damn right, it is!” Jack enthusiastically confirmed, opening the door of the GTO and stepping out onto the empty runway. 

She groaned and circled the car to stand next to Jack. “What is it this time? You gonna teach me how to drink because I think I have that one under control? Properly apply a tourniquet? Give myself stitches in the dark? How to negotiate in an armed conflict?”

“Those are all on the list, but not for today.” He leaned against the car door with his arms crossed as if he were holding out for something specific to materialize in front of him. They waited in silence, side by side against the GTO, her patience wearing thin and his knowing smirk giving nothing away but increasing her dread. 

A gurgly loud rumble grew louder until a faded yellow and white pickup truck pulled up next to the black muscle car and parked. The engine was cut off and sputtered a little more as Mac hopped out of the driver's seat and tossed the keys to Jack. 

"She give you any problems?" Jack asked as he palmed the set of two keys on a ring attached to an old Chevy emblem. 

"Nah." Mac shook his head and pointed to Riley. "Did she give you any problems?" He laughed at his own joke as she rolled her eyes.

"She doesn't know yet what we're doing today." Jack spoke as if she weren't standing next to him. 

"Oh. Have fun then!" Mac dismissed them, pulled out his phone, and let himself fall backward into the back seat of the GTO.

"No sir." Jack reached a helpful arm to Mac to pull him back up out of the car. "You're an important part of this too."

"Oh, I'd hoped you were just kidding about that. Ok." he resigned and climbed into the bed of the truck. "It's a little dirty back here." He rubbed a clump of red dirt between his fingers watching it fall back into the truck

"That's what the picnic blanket's for, hoss."

Riley broke in to the conversation, "What in the hell is going on? Someone needs to tell me something."

Jack shrugged, "ok then, get in the truck."

She walked tentatively toward the passenger door before Jack interrupted her, "nuh uh, Missy, you're driving."

"Why?"

"That's the lesson." 

She squished her eyebrows together in accepting confusion and opened the squeaky old door. Riley climbed into the seat and slammed the heavy door shut. She searched for the ignition everywhere but the steering column and held up the keys. "Which one of these goes to the truck?" She asked as Jack slid into the passenger seat. 

"They both do." 

"Then why are they together on the keychain?"

"Because the circle one unlocks the doors and the square one fits the ignition. Just like the GTO."

Riley scoffed, "how was I supposed to know that? You've never let me drive it."

"In due time, sweetheart. In due time." Jack was very calm and subdued, working hard to tamp down his excitement about teaching his daughter something he found important so she wouldn't be nervous. "Ok, let's go." He looked over to her through his yellow aviators. 

She put the square key into the ignition and stopped short before cranking it. "I know how to drive, Jack. And we've done EVOC and pitting and evasive maneuvers. What else is there to learn? Dirt ramp jumps like the Dukes of Hazzard."

"That is a good idea, and I'm really impressed with your 20th century pop culture reference, but that's not it."

"Jack, you make Dukes references every time you fishtail or spin the tires, I don't know anything about it except what you're constantly mentioning." Riley argued.

"Way to kill the mood, Riles." Mac spoke through the back window from the bed of the truck. "Next time just take the praise."

"Start 'er up. Push the clutch and then turn the key."

"Clutch? Oh god." She looked at the extra pedal on the floor and the stick shift in the middle. "Is this a manual? I've never even seen a manual transmission, much less driven one."

"And that's why you're gonna learn now." Jack told her matter of factly.

"But why? You can't even buy a car with a manual transmission anymore unless you special order from the factory or something. And why would you want to?"

"Well…" Jack debated on which point to hit on first, "people who drive manual transmission vehicles tend to be very passionate about those vehicles, the manual gives you more control and more power. It's a practical skill to have. But most importantly, if you're going out on missions and need to make a quick getaway, you may have to commandeer a vehicle. And sometimes, especially in the seedier areas where we're usually sent on missions, a manual transmission vehicle may be your only option to escape."

"Then I'll run and hide till I get to something I can drive." She argued. 

"That's why Mac is here." Jack told her, thumbing toward the back of the truck. 

"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion. 

"Say you're on a mission with Mac and he gets shot or blown up or otherwise injured. You're gonna grab the nearest car you can find and get the hell to safety; dragging his ass around will slow you down and put you both in more danger."

"I guess you're right." Riley looked down at the gear shifter, not liking the prospect of any of them getting hurt on a mission 

"Of course I'm right." He lost himself in thought for a moment, recalling the many times he'd carried Mac to safety, wishing he didn't have so much experience in that particular situation.

"All right, now push in the clutch and start the engine. She's old so you may need to prime the gas a little if she doesn't start right up. Mac just drove her over, so it shouldn't be a problem. But if you have to prime it, don't pump the gas too much, you'll flood the engine."

"Whoa whoa." She held up her hands. "This is too much information at once. It's driving. Why is there so much more to it? I thought these old clunkers were supposed to be simpler, no computers and whatever."

Jack explained, "They are, but the really old ones are kind of stubborn."

"Ha!" She cackled loudly and grinned right at him. 

He raised an eyebrow at her and continued, "push in the clutch and start the engine."

The old truck rumbled to life and Jack grinned. He had to speak louder over the loud engine and open windows. "Now put your foot on the brake and pull the brake release handle by the door." 

She pointed to the lever near the door and he nodded. Riley pulled the lever and it slammed back startling her. 

"Now make sure it's in neutral." He jiggled the shifter side to side to demonstrate that it was in neutral. She did the same and waited for further instruction. "Now shift into first gear. Keep your feet on the brake and clutch till I say when."

"Which one's first gear?" She pointed at the shifter who's numbers had long worn off. 

Jack grabbed the shifter with his left hand and demonstrated shifting into each position with the knob. "Now you."

She gripped the shifter and wiggled it back and forth, "neutral." She looked at him for reassurance and he nodded. "First." She forced it as far over and into first as she could, Jack's single nod told her to keep on. "Second?" She slammed it toward the seat. Jack nodded. She wiggled it over and up the middle toward the dash. "Third?" A nod. She went through the rest of the gears and reverse, garnering a proud smile from Jack. 

"Ok, now let's move forward. Put the truck in first. Then push the gas gently and let off the clutch at the same time." 

Mac, forgotten in the back, remembered learning this in the army and braced himself with the side of the truck.

The engine revved loudly and lurched forward several times before stalling out a few feet later. 

"Oh my God. That was terrible. I don't like this at all." She panicked. “This truck doesn’t even have seat belts!”

"Ow." She heard from Mac in the back rubbing his head after smacking it on the window in the jolt.

"You'll get it. You just have to practice. Now put it in neutral and start 'er up again." He turned toward the back, "don't need any comments from the peanut gallery. Keep it down back there."

She let out a nervous whimper and turned over the engine again pressing both feet into their respective pedals as hard as she could. 

Jack was still calm and patient, "hold the clutch and brake, shift to first, and press the gas while easing off the clutch."

The truck jerked forward a few feet and stalled again. "What the hell. How fast do I let off the clutch? I feel like we're going to take off like a rocket pushing the gas down. Like I'm giving it too much. You show me how you do it. I'll watch."

"Ok." Jack agreed and scooted across the bench to the driver's seat. She climbed over him and into the passenger seat of the gigantic cab.

Riley watched his feet work the pedals while smoothly transitioning from gear to gear, verbalizing his moves as he tried to be deliberate with something that came so naturally. “You just put it in gear, release the clutch some while pressing the gas and feather out the clutch the rest of the way while you accelerate.”

“But how far do you let it out first, and then how slowly do you let it go while accelerating? and how do you press the gas without giving it too much or not enough?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, baby. It’s just something that comes naturally, hard to explain. You can kinda feel the clutch catch halfway, then ease off it as you press the gas.”

“I get that, you’ve said it several times. I understand what to do, just not how to do it.”

“It just takes practice. Right Mac?”

“Yeah!” Mac piped up from the bed of the truck. “Once you get it, it just happens naturally. You don’t think about it, you just do it.”

“Ugh.” she growled in frustration, “but I need to learn how so I can get to that point.” 

“Come on, let’s try again.” Jack pressed the parking brake with his foot and scooted over to the passenger side again as she crawled over him to the driver’s seat. 

Riley took a deep breath and let it out slowly in a thin concentrated stream through pursed lips. “Ok. Here we go. Clutch, ignition.” She went through the steps out loud. “Press the brake, release the parking brake. First gear. That’s first right?” she looked to Jack for reassurance. He smiled and nodded. “Clutch halfway out, gas.” The engine revved loudly and she cringed releasing the clutch. The truck lunged forward twice and then kept rolling.

“Oh my God!” she cheered. “I’m going! It didn’t stall out.” 

Jack beamed, so proud of his kid, “Great job, now push the clutch again and take it into second once you get to about 3000 RPMs”

“What?” she yelled as she panicked and hit the brake and stalled the truck out again.

“You can’t drive everywhere in first. You gotta change gears as you get faster.” Jack tried to calm her with his patient and supportive voice.

“You mean I have to look at the gages while I’m trying to look at the road and look at the shifter? I don’t have that many eyes!”

Jack scooted over toward the middle of the truck and put his hand on her shoulder. “You’ll get this, I promise. You don’t have to necessarily look at the gages. You can listen. You know when you’re driving your car, you can hear the engine rev, the RPMs go up, and then the transmission changes gears automatically. Just listen for that sound. The truck’ll tell you when it’s time to upshift.”

“Ok, trying again.” she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and gripped the wheel again. “Neutral. Clutch. Ignition.” she went through her checklist under her breath again. “Brake. Brake release. First. Clutch halfway.” She focused all her attention on her task and tried to go forward. 

The truck jerked forward and she shrieked as it stalled out and sputtered again. “I can’t do this! I’m going to break your stupid old truck.”

“No, you’re not.” he laughed. “I’ve been driving this old thing since I was big enough to reach the pedals with bricks tied to my shoes. It can take a beating. And even if it breaks, I’ve been fixing it my whole life, replaced every moving part myself at some point or another. There’s a reason we’re in this truck and not the Stingray.”

She looked like she was on the verge of tears, Jack tried again to help her loosen up. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” He said in his best Darth Vader voice.

“Star Wars? Really?” she was clearly flustered.

“You’re thinking too hard about it. Just try to feel it. Be one with the truck. She’ll tell you what to do. Use the Force” Jack smiled as he threw in another Star Wars reference.

Riley gave him the stink eye and faced forward once again. She closed her eyes as if she were meditating and loosened the death grip she had on the steering wheel. She put her hand on the shifter again and went through the motions. She opened her eyes and accelerated.

The truck jerked lightly once and propelled forward. She whooped and accelerated a little more, listening for the engine to tell her when to shift. She shifted into second flawlessly. 

“Yes!” Jack cheered as she continued down the runway. “Now go to third.” She slammed the shifter up through the middle into 3rd. 

Fearing overconfidence, she kept the speed around 45mph and didn’t have to upshift anymore.

“Ok, you’re gonna run out of runway eventually. Let’s start to downshift.” Jack told her.

“What!?” she yelped.

“No, you’re doing great, don’t start to panic. It’s just like going up in gears. Listen for the cues.” she relaxed slightly. “Ok, slow down, and listen. Ok now downshift back to second.” and she did.  
They continued to decelerate and downshift until they came to a stop. The truck stalled out as it came to a stop.

“You still gotta ride the clutch once you stop or it’s gonna stall.”

“Ok.” she nodded. 

“Let’s do it again.” he encouraged.

She started the truck and pulled off, jerking hard twice before adjusting to first gear, followed smoothly by second gear. 

Jack prepared her for the next part. “I want you to execute this turn. You can do it in second, but there’s a small chance you have to downshift if you decelerate too much. You’ll feel it; you’ll know. Go ahead when you’re ready.”

Focusing on the road in front of her, she veered right to make room for the turn, letting her instincts take hold since she didn’t know how wide the turn radius was for the truck. She flawlessly executed the turn and grinned from ear to ear.

She accelerated and went into third gear. Riley looked at Jack and raised her eyebrow mischievously. His pride was apparent through his smile. She accelerated and went into fourth gear as she squealed with joy.

When they got back to where the GTO was parked, she slowed to a stop and kept the truck running successfully.

“I did it!” She was so giddy.

“You did.” Jack patted her knee twice with a strong hand. He looked out the back window to signal to Mac, “Now we get to add another element to it.” 

“What?” she glared at him. “I haven’t even gotten the hang of the going into first gear thing yet. I’m not ready to make this harder than it already is.”

“You’ll do fine. We trust ya.” Jack’s affirmation didn’t assure her.

“We?” she questioned.

“Yeah. You’ve got Mac gravely injured in the back of the truck and you’ve got to escape and get to exfil.”

“What?” she started to protest.

Jack yelled with enthusiasm, “come on! They’re gaining on you. GO! GO! GO!” 

She put her foot on the gas and released the clutch too quickly and stalled out. She recovered quickly and got it going again, smoothly taking off without hesitation and getting to second gear flawlessly. 

She continued to speed up and heard Mac from the back in a loud deadpan voice, “Ow. Ow my spleen.” 

“Come on Mac, do it with feeling!” Jack belted out with his fists up like a frustrated drama teacher. 

Mac argued, “this is stressful enough for her, she doesn’t need the added pressure of me moaning in the background.”

Jack glared at Mac through the open window in the back and threw a half empty water bottle at him. 

Mac groaned in response. Jack wasn’t sure if it was more for theatrics or agitation with the request. “There ya go.” Jack encouraged. “Come on Ri, faster. Faster!” 

She got it into 5th gear and slowed as she got near the end of the runway. Coming to a stop and still idling properly, she turned to Jack for praise for a job well done. 

His eyes widened in fear and he yelled, “what are you waiting for? GO!” 

She scrambled for the shifter, put it first and tried to take off. The truck jerked forward three times before stalling out. There was a loud thud and a moan from the back. 

“Mac!” Jack hollered and turned around sharply on instinct, nearly jumping out the back window. Riley craned her body to check too. 

“I’m fine!” Mac complained. “I’m just playing along… _with feeling_ like you asked. Nothing’s wrong.”

Jack visibly relaxed and went back to the task at hand. “Get a move on, darlin’, time’s a wastin’.”

She stalled the truck again and then got it on the second try, turning around and going back down the runway toward where they started. She got up to about 60 mph, the old four wheel drive vehicle approaching its limits. 

Jack grabbed onto the roof and hollered, “TURN!”

She looked at him, confused. 

“Turn. Now now now! Into the grass toward the next runway!” Jack was way too intense for her liking. 

She slowed a little and downshifted, taking the turn nearly on two wheels. Riley excitedly cheered for herself and sped up again, slowing slightly to turn onto the next runway. The wind from the windows whipped tendrils of her hair around her face. She didn’t even care when they flew into her mouth; she drove around the small airport taking Jack’s directions. Mac moaned in the back some more as Riley gained more confidence with her driving, utilizing the other evasive driving techniques Jack had previously taught her. 

Jack knocked on the back window signaling the next phase of the training. Mac opened a small box he had in the back, still lying low in the bed of the truck to avoid the wind resistance. 

Riley heard a loud pop, even over the sound of the loud engine and roaring wind, followed by another bang and then several more in quick succession. 

“You’re taking fire! Get down!” Jack yelled, ducking and trying to push her out of view of the window. 

She wasn’t quite sure if he was serious or if this was part of the simulation. It felt so real. She peeked over the dash, holding tight to the wheel and trying to mind the sound of the engine to know whether to up or downshift. She maintained her speed and kept driving until she ended up back at the GTO. 

“Ok, that was intense, I have to pee.” She threw it in neutral once she got stopped and smashed the parking brake. She opened the door and flew toward the hangar without waiting for approval. 

Mac climbed into the cab of the truck through the back window, folding himself into the front seat with limbs flying into Jack’s personal space.

“Was that really necessary?” Jack asked with mock disgust.

“Yeah. I just wanted to see if I could do it.” Mac chuckled at his own response. “I guess that’s a yes.” 

“Of course your scrawny ass could fit through that window. You could probably fit through a submarine porthole. Doesn’t mean you should try it.” was Jack’s grumpy reply.

Riley jog-trotted back to the truck and vaulted herself back into the truck. “Ok. What’s next?”

Though he was glad she was gaining confidence, Jack was ready to shake her once more. 

“What were those pops anyway?” She asked before allowing anyone to continue with the lesson.

“I made little exploding baggies out of some coarse sand, silver fulminate, and some cigarette wrappers.” Mac explained.

“Where in the world do you get that kind of stuff? How long have you been planning this?” Riley was perplexed.

“Jack called me this morning. I had everything on hand.”

“Why?” she questioned and looked toward Jack, “and how in the world would you assume to know that he would have all of that stuff? I mean cigarette papers? Are you rolling joints in your free time that I don’t know about?”

“Actually,” Mac started, “rolling papers are surprisingly easy to find at music stores. Woodwind players use them to dry out the pads on their instruments. I didn’t even have to go to a smoke shop to buy them.”

Riley shook her head in disbelief at Mac just being Mac. 

He tried to recover from his Macsplaning incident by backpedaling. “Well you asked. And when do I not have silver fulminate? Sand is easy to find…”

Jack cut him off, “hey, stop. You’re supposed to be unconscious from blood loss.”

“Ok.” Mac agreed and slumped into Riley’s lap.

“You’ve clearly planned this out thoroughly.” Riley was impressed. 

“Not gonna have another Cairo on our hands, gotta get you trained for every scenario.” Jack explained then ordered, “Get to drivin’ Missy, Mac doesn’t have much time.” 

Mac grinned deviously with his head in her lap and relaxed to allow himself to flop around the truck like a ragdoll. She attempted to accelerate and stalled the truck again with an annoyed expletive. Her next attempt was better and she got it going after one big lurch that sent Mac almost toppling into the floorboard. 

Riley pulled him back with her right hand and tried to hold him in place with her elbow while keeping her hand on the shifter as she executed a sharp turn. His lower half dropped into the floor and knocked the truck out of gear.

“Jack!” she yelled. “What do I do? It’s in neutral!” 

“Listen to the engine. Do you need to downshift or go back to the gear you were in?” 

“At this point? I slowed down. Down shift?” She was starting to panic again.

Jack didn’t answer, but instead flopped over on top of Mac. 

She screamed in frustration and angrily smashed the clutch before downshifting appropriately. She was so busy concentrating on driving that she didn’t even catch Jack’s approving smile. 

Her phone in her pocket started buzzing. She wasn’t sure if she should answer it as part of the exercise or if it was just a social call. She ignored it until it emitted a tone she’d never heard. At that point she was restraining them both with her shifting arm while steering with the other. She pulled her phone out to see a message in a gigantic font “EXFIL HANGAR 2B.”

She drove the truck back down the runway toward the hangars. She skidded to a stop in front of the appropriate hangar and pressed the parking brake. Mac and Jack made no attempt to move. She huffed, obviously the boys weren’t finished with their simulation. 

She looked at the hangar door. There was a sign on the pedestrian door. “EXFIL INSIDE” so Riley slid out of the truck and went to the hangar door. She tried to push it open, but it was blocked by something heavy. She managed to squeeze herself into the darkened building as her phone made that horrendous sound again. “YOUR TEAM?” was the message her phone displayed. She wasn’t sure what they were getting at, but figured her training wasn’t complete until she had her whole team there at “exfil.”

Riley hastily closed the distance between herself and the truck. The boys were still in the same position she’d left them. Grateful that she’d worn her Doc Marten’s instead of the cute heeled boots, she grabbed Mac under the armpits and pulled him toward the door. Once she was able to get a good grip, she slid her arms under his and wrapped her arms around his chest. Riley pulled him out, and his legs landed on the ground with a thud. She readjusted her grip and redistributed his weight on her arms, walking backward and dragging his boots across the ground. 

She was breathing heavily by the time she got near the door. “You know what you remind me of?” she asked panting hard. He didn’t answer, but she didn’t really expect him to, so she continued, “you’re like Woody when Andy or some other human comes into the room.” 

She felt and heard Mac snicker at her very accurate comment. Once she dragged Mac into the building, Riley closed the door and left him in the dark. Then she went to retrieve Jack.

The passenger door was stuck and difficult to open, she yanked it open and was face to face with Jack's ass. She pulled him by one arm into a sitting position. After she hooked his arms around her own neck from behind, she hefted him up onto her back and carried him on her back as his feet dragged along the ground. 

"Good lord, Jack. Are you filled with rocks? How are you so much heavier than Mac? You're like the same size." She grunted like a bodybuilder. At the door, she held both of his wrists to her chest with one hand and opened the door with the other hand, kicking it ajar.

Riley entered and pressed Jack's back against the wall. She squatted until he was in a mostly seated position and released his wrists. He toppled over to his side and the door closed on its own, shutting out the tiny amount of light the door let into the hangar. The lack of sound and light was beginning to scare her, shouldn't someone say or do something. She grabbed for her phone and the lights turned on. Mac and Jack were standing together in front of her. 

"Congratulations. You passed!" Jack was so excited to tell her, and Mac approached her side and patted her on the back. 

For lack of anything better to say she thanked them, "that was really nerve wracking, but now I understand why you did it. Thank you. I hope I never ever have to use my new skill."

"Are you sure about that?" Jack's inflection made her question his sanity. 

"Yes. I never want to drag your asses anywhere again, and I can certainly go the rest of my life only driving automatic cars." She replied confidently.

"Are you sure?" He dragged the last word out unnecessarily long.

"Yeah. I'm good."

"Well that's too bad because your reward was going to be me letting you drive the Shelby."

"Oh yes! Please!" She followed him on his heels like an excited puppy as he walked toward a canvas covered vehicle in the corner of the hangar. He pulled the tarp off in one smooth pull, revealing the pristine blue sports car with white racing stripes. She ran her fingers up the hood with a feather light touch so as not to leave any oil or grime on the paint. "I've never actually seen her in person." She was in awe. "And she's more beautiful than I could have imagined."

"Go ahead, get in." He encouraged. 

Her breath hitched, she could hardly contain her excitement. She delicately lowered herself into the driver's seat and ran her hands gingerly down the steering wheel, lightly fingering the stick shift and the dash. Riley closed her eyes and took in the smell. It wasn't necessarily a great smell, but it was familiar and comforting. 

Jack popped into the passenger seat. "Come on, let's go."

"I'm nervous. I mean I just logged maybe an hour driving a stick. How am I supposed to do this?" She questioned. 

"You passed your test. If you can drive a stick in that situation, you'll be fine here." He told her as he palmed the back of her neck with a comforting squeeze. Jack handed her the keys and Mac pulled the chains to open the roll up door.

Riley started the engine and squealed with delight, gripping the wheel and beaming. Her eyes found the stick shifter and inspected the gear positions on the diagram on top before she grabbed the knob. Jack put his hand on top of hers and squeezed his approval and mutual excitement and they took off out of the hangar with a gleeful howl.


End file.
